Here's a list of contact details for the final candidates for the Sunshine Coast Regional Council Elections on March 15 - I've had a few conversations lately with people who aren't too clued-up about the process or the candidates, and that scares me. I've looked at the list and only see a few people who I know are already prioritising the big issues that will effect our future needs.
Check which division you are enrolled in then use the list to find out who your candidates are and go to a public meeting, ask people about them, do some research. The Daily's website has articles and a community forum,
...but we all really need to get up close and personal with candidates we don't know, look them in the eye and ask them what their values are, and how much they know about future challenges like alternative transport & power generation, peak oil, climate change, food and water security etc. (Don't accept broad sweeping statements that support the need to do 'something' . What actions will they take/support? They are going to be paid a decent salary to provide some answers. These are tough issues that require rigorous intellectual debate to find the solutions. They are also humanitarian issues, requiring our councillors to work from the heart as much as the head. Do you get a gut feeling for their integrity when you meet them or read about them? Do they value community? Are they strong or committed enough to stand up to the Qld Govt where needed?
This period in time is a defining moment for the Coast and Australia as a whole. Being lucky enough to live in a place of abundance we don't often need to revisit those basic human core values like you do when you're survival is at stake. I've always said Australian society is like most teenagers - 'Anglo-Australia' is a very young culture by anyone's standards. We've focused on the now and what the world is going to do for us, and not been too concerned with the future (or the past). We've envied the toys that others like the US had, and decided we wanted to be just like them, to 'fit in' with the in-crowd. Like most teenagers, we've disregarded the wisdom of older generations (our first Australians) and sought quick-fix material distractions to avoid putting some time and real effort in to sorting out the issues that make us seek the distractions in the first place. Yaddah yaddah yaddah (I could go on about this for days)......
But in the last year I think we've started growing up as a Nation. We decided we wanted to be a society not an economy at the Federal Elections, Kevin has stepped up and elevated the word 'respect' in our national language, and you just get the feeling now's the time to ride the wave - reclaim our communities, put our social and environmental values at the top of political and business economic agendas (and hey, they aren't mutually exclusive goals!)
Have a look at this pretty amazing set of principles for creating 'sustainable' communities. They belong to a former-lecturer of mine and I've never found better.
Creating communities that minimise ecological footprint and maximise human potential.
Ask your candidates what they are going to do about that.
A lot can happen in a few weeks......
Sorry 'bout that...I didn't mean to be offline for so long, but life kind of got in the way of my plans, as it has a habit of doing. Fearing my dear-old-Dad was starting to lose his marbles, I thought I'd better spend some 'Quality Time' with him (and mum) to assess.....so after a week in Adelaide setting mum up on the internet and introducing her to the joys of email and instant messanging via Lambrusco (?) laced incentives, I embarked on a road-trip with dad from Adelaide to Melbourne via the Great Ocean Road.
In summary: 1 unnaturally-organised grey nomad father + 1 [seemingly from a different gene pool] daughter + 1 winnebago + 7 days + 800-or-so kms = a whooooollllle lotta compramising! (i.e. I'd spent my whole life under the ridiculous assumption that it was a pretty straightforward thing to put up a motorhome annex ....)
I'm sure there are times when all of us wonder if we were found under a cabbage leaf in the bottom of the garden ...... My moment came as I chatted to Dad from my end of Winnie (table-bed-thingie) on our first night "on the road".
Dad: Ahhh bugger. I forgot to soak the muesli.
Me: Doesn't matter. I eat whatever I feel like when I wake up. I don't eat the same thing two days running usually.
Dad: Doesn't matter what I feel like when I wake up...I know I'm having muesli.
..... and so it came to pass, meusli for seven days.
But you know, despite the frustration of recycled jokes, (which I really should be a fan of, given my occupation), nature-sound/instrumental cd's, spending 15 minutes finding the 'perfect parking angle' and having the climatic moment of my Dean Koontz holiday-novel interrupted with a rendition of a classic from "The Great Aussie Joke Almanac", I absolutely loved those seven days. I got to chat to dad while we were driving, talk about things from his childhood, his life, his happy moments - his regrets....and who this person really is that formed half of me. I don't think we get to spend enough time with our parents as adults (one-on-one I mean), and hear their stories, and just 'sit' with our history-good, bad or indifferent - it's what made us who we are.
Then I arrive home ... (and I never watch the news, normally) but I'm confronted with several omni-present social issues that seem to be forefront in everyone's minds.....
Kevin has said sorry. I can't tell you how happy this makes me. For a man, a leader, to show the backbone to be humble (and human), to show real emotion and say "hey, we stuffed up as a nation along the way..... please forgive us and lets move forward" knowing its the decent thing to do without pandering to the implied "threat" of what-ifs and legal implications.... uhhhh. I don't know anyone who saw that speech with dry eyes or without goosebumps. This is big. It drew a line in the sand and now we can move forward. Go Kev! (And hey, if you do manage to get parliament to conduct itself more respectfully, you bump up another notch or two in my estimation...)
Bob v's Joe. Hmmmm....haven't read too much of the rhetoric but I just have to say one thing...if anyone is thinking that Bob would only be looking out for Noosa's interests if voted Mayor of the Super Council, they are seriously misguided. Bob is a humanitarian, hes's humble, he respects people and he values communities with heart. Inmy opinion, he gets what life is about and if anything, we should all be hoping he can bring even a fraction of the thinking and planning that Noosa's community has evolved, to the whole region. Wake up and smell the roses people! We are selling out to mediocrity via bland development and economic-driven 'progress'... we can either meet the future confidently and proactively or we can stay in our old mindset and go down kicking and screaming.....
.... and lastly, Bob's lack of girlfriend. No, not Mayor Bob - Bob the bush turkey, who decided to take up residence in my back yard while I was away the time before last, and as turkeys are want to do... he slaved over a huge nest (raking leaves from every corner of the garden) then set off to find himself "that special lady".
She must have been washing her hair or something.
The nest remains empty but I've left it there, despite my mother's protests that they will come and invade my living room and destroy the house (she watched an ABC show and is convinced they are the anti-christ). But I think, if some bloke goes to the trouble to make a great home out of nothing, on the promise of ...well nothing..... he deserves to find himself a lady-friend who will appreciate him. The nest stays (until I want my mulch back).
Oh, and one last thing..... on the subject of amalgamation and development. I read about the Qld Govt's spectacularly backward thinking on controlling Noosa's future development without any Noosa input... Despite this being a completely medievil way to do things, I have an issue with the idea that they've picked out areas of Queensland that are 'environmentally significant' or whatever they call it.
Wake up! Every area is!
It may not be now, but it once was, and can be again....every area makes its ajoining areas what they are. The mind-set that some areas are worthy of 'protecting' because they have nice rivers and forests really "gets up my goat" (mixed metaphor courtesy of my Italian ex) Yeah sure, protect and promote them as good examples, but roll it out to adjoining areas, don't hold up small chunks as masterpieces and surround them with crap.
.... It's about as annoying as building companies who purport to have 'x-number of-decades' in environmental building expertise and say its because they can build structures "when required" for environmentally sensitive areas.
Sorry guys; if it's not core business to build structures that are energy, water and waste efficient in every area I'm not going to take you seriously.
Ok, end of rave......
Next week, how to orientate your house for maximum energy efficiency...promise.
In summary: 1 unnaturally-organised grey nomad father + 1 [seemingly from a different gene pool] daughter + 1 winnebago + 7 days + 800-or-so kms = a whooooollllle lotta compramising! (i.e. I'd spent my whole life under the ridiculous assumption that it was a pretty straightforward thing to put up a motorhome annex ....)
I'm sure there are times when all of us wonder if we were found under a cabbage leaf in the bottom of the garden ...... My moment came as I chatted to Dad from my end of Winnie (table-bed-thingie) on our first night "on the road".
Dad: Ahhh bugger. I forgot to soak the muesli.
Me: Doesn't matter. I eat whatever I feel like when I wake up. I don't eat the same thing two days running usually.
Dad: Doesn't matter what I feel like when I wake up...I know I'm having muesli.
..... and so it came to pass, meusli for seven days.
But you know, despite the frustration of recycled jokes, (which I really should be a fan of, given my occupation), nature-sound/instrumental cd's, spending 15 minutes finding the 'perfect parking angle' and having the climatic moment of my Dean Koontz holiday-novel interrupted with a rendition of a classic from "The Great Aussie Joke Almanac", I absolutely loved those seven days. I got to chat to dad while we were driving, talk about things from his childhood, his life, his happy moments - his regrets....and who this person really is that formed half of me. I don't think we get to spend enough time with our parents as adults (one-on-one I mean), and hear their stories, and just 'sit' with our history-good, bad or indifferent - it's what made us who we are.
Then I arrive home ... (and I never watch the news, normally) but I'm confronted with several omni-present social issues that seem to be forefront in everyone's minds.....
Kevin has said sorry. I can't tell you how happy this makes me. For a man, a leader, to show the backbone to be humble (and human), to show real emotion and say "hey, we stuffed up as a nation along the way..... please forgive us and lets move forward" knowing its the decent thing to do without pandering to the implied "threat" of what-ifs and legal implications.... uhhhh. I don't know anyone who saw that speech with dry eyes or without goosebumps. This is big. It drew a line in the sand and now we can move forward. Go Kev! (And hey, if you do manage to get parliament to conduct itself more respectfully, you bump up another notch or two in my estimation...)
Bob v's Joe. Hmmmm....haven't read too much of the rhetoric but I just have to say one thing...if anyone is thinking that Bob would only be looking out for Noosa's interests if voted Mayor of the Super Council, they are seriously misguided. Bob is a humanitarian, hes's humble, he respects people and he values communities with heart. Inmy opinion, he gets what life is about and if anything, we should all be hoping he can bring even a fraction of the thinking and planning that Noosa's community has evolved, to the whole region. Wake up and smell the roses people! We are selling out to mediocrity via bland development and economic-driven 'progress'... we can either meet the future confidently and proactively or we can stay in our old mindset and go down kicking and screaming.....
.... and lastly, Bob's lack of girlfriend. No, not Mayor Bob - Bob the bush turkey, who decided to take up residence in my back yard while I was away the time before last, and as turkeys are want to do... he slaved over a huge nest (raking leaves from every corner of the garden) then set off to find himself "that special lady".
She must have been washing her hair or something.
The nest remains empty but I've left it there, despite my mother's protests that they will come and invade my living room and destroy the house (she watched an ABC show and is convinced they are the anti-christ). But I think, if some bloke goes to the trouble to make a great home out of nothing, on the promise of ...well nothing..... he deserves to find himself a lady-friend who will appreciate him. The nest stays (until I want my mulch back).
Oh, and one last thing..... on the subject of amalgamation and development. I read about the Qld Govt's spectacularly backward thinking on controlling Noosa's future development without any Noosa input... Despite this being a completely medievil way to do things, I have an issue with the idea that they've picked out areas of Queensland that are 'environmentally significant' or whatever they call it.
Wake up! Every area is!
It may not be now, but it once was, and can be again....every area makes its ajoining areas what they are. The mind-set that some areas are worthy of 'protecting' because they have nice rivers and forests really "gets up my goat" (mixed metaphor courtesy of my Italian ex) Yeah sure, protect and promote them as good examples, but roll it out to adjoining areas, don't hold up small chunks as masterpieces and surround them with crap.
.... It's about as annoying as building companies who purport to have 'x-number of-decades' in environmental building expertise and say its because they can build structures "when required" for environmentally sensitive areas.
Sorry guys; if it's not core business to build structures that are energy, water and waste efficient in every area I'm not going to take you seriously.
Ok, end of rave......
Next week, how to orientate your house for maximum energy efficiency...promise.
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